Never Find Eyes Like Yours
by TheLadyKellet
Summary: Part 2 of Close Your Eyes, Open Your Mind. It has been six years since Garrus lost someone very dear on the Citadel. And once more loss has found him. What awaits him when he returns to the life he left behind. And who will be waiting for him. Rated M for later Chapters
1. Chapter 1

Here it is finally my dears. The next part to my story Close your Eyes, Open Your Mind. I tried to write it in a fashion that if you have not read the previous story you would not be 100% lost. I hope you all enjoy it.

_Disclaimer: I own nothing in the Mass Effect world, sadly._

You know those places that just always rub you the wrong way? The ones that you dread going to no matter what, because something terrible always seems to happen? For Garrus that was the Citadel. For the rest of the galaxy it was a wonderful place where all races could live in harmony. Where their needs were met and you could find shelter from whatever you were running from. For Garrus the whole structure was just a reminder of terrible things that had happened in his life.

This was where he had slaved away as a C-Sec officer. Seeing first hand the dark and twisted secrets the galaxy hid in its beloved haven. Where slavers smuggled living beings in crates and drugs a plenty where hidden in every little corner. And the worst of it was, the little power he had to do anything about it.

This is also where he had lost _her_. The first woman he had ever truly been in love with. The woman that caused him to really open his eyes to the galaxy around him and see life anew. The one woman that caused him to doubt everything he had been. And Spirits be damned if she wasn't a human.

His musings were halted, as the small shuttle he was on halted at the platform. The ride had been long and uncomfortable but what could he expect traveling all the way across the galaxy from some backwash end planet that he didn't think even had a name, to the glorious Citadel. And once again this gleaming city only brought him more reminders of pain.

Stepping out onto the platform, Garrus's icy blue orbs landed on a news screen to his right. Like most of the news lately, it was playing the same story over and over. The reason he was back at this place. He tried to not listen, tried to not be reminded but at the same time the investigator inside of him wanted to know if there were anymore leads. So with great reluctance he turned his attention to the voice of the woman, as images moved across the screen.

_"-nly a week has passed since the galaxy lost its brave hero. Spectre Nihlus Kryik was found dead on a planet that is being developed to become a human colony. It appears that the Spectre had been shot dead from a great distance. It is still unsure, whether or not the murder was human related, with Kryik being one of the leading supporters of human relations with other species. The-"_

Garrus had to fight back a half hearted chuckle as he heard that last bit. If only the news reporter and even the whole galaxy knew why Nihlus was all about humans. It might have had something to do with Luna. That thought brought a small clinch to his heart. It had been six years since he had walked off the citadel and disappeared after her death but he could still see it so clearly. Hear her last words to him like she whispered them in his ear. The sad words that caused him to be truly happy for a fleeting moment. She had whispered of her love for him. And she had died thinking he didn't feel the same way. And now there was no way he could go back and tell her now.

And now his mind was on her once more. The human alliance tech officer turned Cerberus experiment, that had escaped with Nihlus and became his traveling companion. When Garrus became Nihlus's student, he had had no idea about the human. He had thought her to be an AI. And after he had discovered what she truly was, they had begun a relationship that had been the oddest yet happiest one he had ever been in to date. But that was over now. She was gone and now Nihlus was a well. Turning back to the news report, he caught the information he had been interested in in the first place.

_"-orried that it may start a galactic uproar, the council has placed a Spectre in charge of the investigation but sources says he is not going at it alone. If reports are true, the investigating Spectre is receiving help from a human C-Sec officer. Executor Pallin neither confirmed or denied the accusation, simply saying that C-Sec was doing what it could, to prevent hostility between races and get to the bottom of this incident."_

So Pallin was still in charge of C-Sec and they had a hand in the investigation. That was where he would start. He doubted the council would tell a Spectre drop out which Spectre was actually on the case. But with some luck and maybe his history with Pallin, he may be able to find out some information from the C-Sec officer that would help him find out what happened to his mentor and friend.

Lifting his bag over his shoulder and picking up his rifle case, the turian made his way towards the C-Sec office. Or at least where he thought it was. Six years had come and gone since his last time on the Citadel. And even then, it had been quite some time since he had been on the Citadel and knew where everything was. It seemed since then, the entirety of the structure had been somewhat rearranged. But thanks to arrows and simple directions it was easy to find the C-Sec head office.

Stepping in, he found Pallin like he had expected him, pouring over stacks of datapads that were piled on his desk. The older turian didn't look a day older than when Garrus had last seen him. Setting down his case, he cleared his throat so that the Executor would notice him. Looking up from the data pad in front of him Garrus admitted, he was amused to see the shock on the senior turian's face. As if he had seen a ghost. It took him a moment to regain himself before he spoke, letting his eyes move back down to the datapad.

"You know, when I heard you dropped out of Spectre training, I could have sworn you would have come back. I know your father would have preferred it." His somewhat hard, trained eyes found Garrus once more and for a split second he was a fresh C-Sec officer just recently finished with his training and being scolded by his senior officer. But only for that second. "Is your father aware, that you are back?"

A small amount of guilt built in his chest. Of course he hadn't told his family that he was back. He hadn't told anyone. The only two people he would have told were not around to tell. He gave the other turian a shake of his head. Pallin replied with a deep sigh which Garrus felt was disappointment.

"Let me guess. You're here to investigate that Spectre death?" Garrus could only offer him a nod, knowing how Pallin felt about Spectres. The turian in front of him studied him from head to toe. It was true, he looked a little worse for the wear, his hard travels taking a toll on him. After what felt like an hour but was just a few minutes, Pallin rose and began to make his way towards him, all the time speaking to him sternly.

"It's far from my place to begin lecturing you on how to live your life. You know very well it is against C-Sec policy to give out information on an open case. And I know very well that, if I don't tell you anything, you will work the system and get the information yourself. Then I will have to deal with all the paperwork that comes from a breached system. So I propose a trade. You contact your father, for Spirits sake let him know you are alive. And I will give you the name of my officer on the case. And if you fail to hold up your end of the deal, I will personally contact your father. And it will not be pretty."

Garrus's eyes met Pallin's. The man was an old friend of his father, so Garrus knew he was honest to his threat. It would not be hard to contact his father. Far less so than breaking into the system and searching for the information himself. After a minute of waging all his options and trying to see any downsides to the arrangement, Garrus gave Pallin a firm nod.

"It's a deal, sir. I will contact my father as soon as I have the means to." That received an odd look from Pallin but no further questions. Garrus had gotten rid of his omni-tool shortly after his disappearance. He really didn't want to read any messages about Luna, nor did he want anyone being able to find him. But if he was back on the map, it seemed like a good idea to get one again. After hearing about Nihlus, he had for a moment beat himself up over getting rid of it. What if his mentor had called out for help and had simply been left in the dark?

Pallin now moved back to his desk where he sat and returned to the datapad he had been reading. "Head back towards the wards. Before you reach it, you will run into a C-Sec station. I shall call ahead and have one of my men lead you to my officer in charge of the case. I would send her to meet you but she's kinda like how you were, once she gets her teeth into an important case, nothing short of a mob of angry, charging krogans can get her to budge."

Garrus was a little surprised to hear that it was a woman on the case. Granted, Pallin disliked Spectres but this was still a very large case. He would only put the best of the best on it. And when he was last in C-Sec, the men to women ratio was high in the mens favor. So much so, that women were almost a rare sight, and never put on an important case. Most were asari in charge of paperwork and lab work. But it seemed a lot had changed since he had disappeared into the corners if the galaxy.

He offered the older turian a nod but he had already gone back to his work. Picking his things back up, Garrus turned and made his way out of the Executor's office. He knew the route that Pallin had told him but first, he stopped by a small hotel on his way. It was cheap and fast, exactly what he needed. Nothing fancy or frilly for the ruff and battered turian. After arriving in his room and putting things away, he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. It was a wonder why Pallin didn't make mention of his appearance.

Sure, when he was last on the Citadel he had not been some young innocent trainee. He had seen combat in the field and looked into so many twisted cases, it was a surprise he didn't have nightmares. But looking back now, the man he once was, was a child compared to the man he was now.

When he started the odd and end jobs that had been getting him through the years, he didn't expect he would turn out looking the way he did now. A large gash over his right eye left the plates there forever scarred. On his left side, one of the tips of his fringe had been broken off. His left mandible and the left side of his neck were scarred from a too close explosion. And although it didn't show, he knew of all the gashes and cuts that were permanently etched into his plates and hide. He looked a mess, to say the least.

With one final glance at himself, Garrus turned and made his way out to the main walkway once more. It was so odd for him to see so many humans in this place. The war had been over for over six years now but he had been in non council space since then. And before, he had mainly been on the ship with Nihlus and Luna. Humans were still a sight he was not quite used to. Luckily for him, it seemed everyone was taking measures to avoid him, which was fine with him.

It was easy to find the C-Sec station Pallin had spoken about, easy to find for those on the street of the Citadel that needed help. Moving towards the front desk area, he paused and waited for the salarian to give him his attention. When he finally did, he seemed a little taken aback by Garrus but recovered quickly.

"Can I help you with something?" The way he asked, the salarian most likely saw a few guys like him before, most likely coming in to try and bail out a buddy from jail.

"Executor Pallin sent me down here. I am to meet with the person in charge of the Nihlus investigation." The salarian looked him over as if he did not quite believe Garrus for a moment. After a few seconds he turned and called to the human sitting near by. "Please escort this gentleman," the way he said it seemed as though he did not quite believe Garrus to be a gentle anything, "to the captains office. Pallin's orders. No matter what she says."

The human paled slightly, as if he was not too pleased with the idea. Whether it was the thought of escorting Garrus or interrupting his captain, Garrus was not sure. He received a nod and a 'Follow me' from the human male as he turned and moved down the hallway with Garrus on his heels.

The halls of C-Sec were different in some places while others held the same feeling he remembered. Every other 'office' was open with no door, free for anyone to wander in and speak with the officers inside. But between each one was an office with doors, shutting them off from the common public. It was at a door room at the end of the hall that the human paused.

Looking back at him, he held up a hand in effort to halt Garrus. "The Captain gets a little moody when she is interrupted. Stay here for a moment while I talk to her." Garrus gave the human a nod of understanding. As he slipped into the room quickly and the doors shut, Garrus stood thinking about the situation. Normally he would have been angry, if it weren't for the fact that he used to be the same way. Back when he was on big cases, he would try to devote every ounce of attention to it. When people would interrupt him for simple things, or anything for that matter, he would come close to losing it. And a case like the death of a Spectre, well, that could make or break your career.

He quickly found a flaw in the rooms design, as he could clearly hear what was being said on the other side of the door.

"Jane- er, I mean captain. There is a turian here to see you about your investigation." It was not the first time that name caused his heart to race. And no matter how many times he tried to tell himself that it couldn't be the same one, his heart continued to beat like a war drum.

He heard a small growl that was very feminine. "What did I tell you, Tony? The only people allowed in here are Saren, the Executor, and Taluke. If it's none of them, then I don't want to see them." Once more his heart sped up. It was just his mind, right? Just because her name was Jane his mind was twisting it so that she sounded like Luna. Slowly he began to breathe, trying to regain control over his pounding heart.

"But Captain, it comes straight from the Executor himself. This guy is here to meet with you, to learn what you know. He must be some kind of top dog. You know Pallin don't let just anyone on the big cases, especially an outsider. Maybe he is family?"

He had to hand it to the human. He sure was trying to convince this captain. And it seemed that it worked. "Send him in. I'll give him a quick briefing and send him one his way."

With that, the door slid open and the human male held out a hand. "Captain Shepard will see you now." His friendly smile was lost on Garrus, who had just regained a hold on his heartbeat, only to lose it again. Heart pounding so hard, he could hear it in his ears. He rounded the doorframe somewhat timidly, as if, if he moved too quickly, it would all vanish. There was no way all of this was lining up so perfectly, it would be wrong. The name, the sound, and, as he entered the room, the smell all belonged to Luna.

And there she was, like a Spirit from his dreams. Something about her was different, which only proved that she was not just another figment of his imagination. This had to be real.

She was dressed in the C-Sec issued pants and boots. The jacket had been removed, to leave only a black tank top, showing off her tanned arms. The long red hair, that Garrus remembered, still held it's color but was cut so that it was to the nape of her neck in the back and slipped to her shoulders in the front. Perched on her nose was a pair of thin framed glasses and behind them, Spirits help him. Behind them were those eyes. Those moonlit silver eyes that clouded his mind and watched him every night.

As those luminous eyes landed on him, he watched the shock cover her face. The data pad that was in her hand clattered to the ground. And Garrus, whose heart had been uncontrollable up until this point, stopped dead as his name slipped from her lips.

"Garrus..."


	2. Chapter 2

Hello my loyal readers... and you must be loyal if you are still here, and I love you for it. I know it has been so long since I last posted a chapter but summer has been full of vacation, death in family and other oddities besides the wonderful writers block that seemed to punch me in the face every free second I seem to get. But it is here now and I truly hope that you will enjoy it as much (if not more) than I had writing it. As always your wonderful comments fuel my fire and make me feel like an amazing princess.

_Disclaimer: The wonderful world of Mass Effect is not mine and belongs to Bioware..._

* * *

He had to rule out dreaming. He had dreamed of her before. The Spirits knew he had. In the past six years, he had seen her each time he closed his eyes. And even when he went without sleep to spare himself her smiling face, she would come to him in his exhausted state. But all those dreams were different from this moment.

When she came towards him, her hair was just how he remembered, long and perfectly straight. Like a crimson waterfall. Her build was strong but not much like having spent a few years on a lab slab, her strength coming mostly from the upgrades Cerberus had implanted in her. The way he remembered her, she was confident but it truly didn't show in the way she carried herself.

No, this woman in front of him was Luna. Or a damn good copy. But if it was a copy would they not keep her the same? Why would anyone think to change someone who by all rights didn't exist anymore? Her hair was cut far shorter but it gave her a more serious, almost older look. The glasses did nothing to hide those silver orbs that were imprinted in the back of his mind. And although she was still the same height and seemed to be the same size, he could see muscles, very toned and if he could say so (and he just might), seductive muscles that at the moment seemed very tense. Which caused him to quickly move his gaze back to her face.

The whole time he was standing there, he had been looking her over, trying to find a flaw in it really being her. The whole time it never occurred to him to study her reaction. Her eyes were wide and unsure behind her glasses. They shone in the light in what could be unshed tears. Her expression made it seem like she had seen a ghost. Her name was forming on his lips when a voice sounded beside him.

"Captain?" Oh right. The human that had shown him in. He had lost all memory of the human the moment his eyes had landed on Luna. He didn't let the human phase him but it seemed the words had brought Luna out of her startled state. Her eyes blinked rapidly, as if she tried to clear her eyes, before she moved to pick up the dropped datapad.

"You are free to leave, Johnson." As she spoke, she rose from crouching down to lift the pad and turned to place it on the table. Garrus could almost feel the hesitance from the human behind him. He lingered, watching his captain, just as Garrus watched her. "Captain? Are you sure..."

Garrus could tell it was a foolish notion and Luna only proved his point as she turned quickly, eyes narrowed at the human male. He had seen Luna angry before, on a few occasions. But never before had he seen her filled with such a fiery rage. And even over something that to him seemed so trivial. He hated to admit it, or maybe he liked the idea, but her rage really seemed to turn him on further. Sure, in their past relationship she had not be all gentle, but he never saw a glimpse of the dominance she showed at this moment, and it was quite a fascinating thing to see.

Even without his wonderful hearing, Garrus was sure that he would have been able to hear the hard swallow by the male before he quickly turned away and practically ran out of the room as the door shut behind him. Garrus had watched this with some amusement. Turning back to the human woman he let him take her in once more as she relaxed to lean against her desk with her arms crossed.

There was a silence in the air, hanging over them once more before Luna spoke. "I heard that you were dead. Just laying low in some back part of the galaxy, then?" He could hear the hurt in her voice but for the life of him could not understand it. He gave a gentle nod as he watched her fish in her pants pocket for something.

"Yeah, pretty much laying low. Hiding out and doing odd jobs here and there to get by. You know how it is, living on the run." She gave a small chuckle as she looked up to him. Her eyes bore into his for what seemed like an eternity in a second before looking down to the pack in her hands.

"I just don't understand, Garrus. One day you love being a Spectre in training. Next, from what I hear, you have up and vanished, ignoring everyone's pings, even mine. Were you really that..." She seemed to have trouble finding the correct word to fit how she was feeling, "...disgusted by our relationship that you had to completely cut ties with me after breaking it off?"

Realization hit him quickly and it hit him hard. No one else knew where he went or why. No one knew he never opened any of the messages he received before scrapping his omni tool. And Luna, she never knew that he had been the one that fell in love with her and was only trying to protect her by splitting up. He thought that she had died, and left her thinking that he was breaking off their arrangement because she had been the one to fall in love.

It only took a few steps to bring her a few feet from his reach. As he moved she pulled a stick out of the pack and placed it between her lips. A lighter was pulled out next and posed ready to light the cigarette, as her eyes watched him. A hard glaze covered those liquid, silver pools, ready to take any harm that she believed he was ready to inflict emotionally. She really had changed since the last time he saw her. Even more so on the inside than the outside. He could only offer her a shake of his head as he tried to find the words.

"It was not you, Luna. It was never you." He fought the urge to say the words that fought too hard to force their way out. It would do no good to be rash at a time like this. One wrong phrasing could crumble what little stability he had with her right now. "You were gone. I saw it with my own eyes. At that moment I gave up, completely. I felt there was nothing left for me here. The whole reason I wanted to become a Spectre was to protect the ones that were important. And if I couldn't do that, then what was the point?"

He heard the soft exhale from her nose as her eyes moved to the cigarette between her lips as the flame sparked to life, burning the paper. Usually the smell of the smoke would bother him, but for some reason it was not as troubling now as it had been in the past. It was either that this brand was less offensive to turian noses or he was simply too preoccupied by their conversation that he just didn't care. Either way, he took another step towards her as she placed the pack and the lighter on the table.

"So you thought I died. Garrus, you are a trained soldier and a former C-Sec officer. People die. People you know and care for. Its part of the job description. You honestly don't think I would believe you cut all ties with your whole world simple because one of your friends died. Sulking I would believe. Even maybe depression. But to completely run away and not give a shit, that's a little hard to swallow."

He sighed as he looked her over. The way her lips wrapped around the thin, paper wrapped filter as she inhaled a deep breath of smoke. The way her eyes slowly blinked as she refused to bring them up to meet him. Afraid of what, he did not know. What he did know was that she needed to understand. Needed to see what she had blind to when they were together. To hell with Nihlus's request of letting her go. He had done that once and look what happened. No, this time he wasn't going to shrink away out of fear.

"No, not my friend..." He could see her flinch away at the comment. Her eyes narrowed in on the glowing tip at the end of her fingers.

Her silver pools reflecting the warm amber glow. "No I guess not... Then your toy. Your fuck buddy. Your... well whatever I was to you..." She was angry. He could see it. A bright burning flame. But he was going to douse that flame. Fix what he should have fixed all those years ago when she laid dieing on his bed. Stepping closer, he reached out to run a hand along her chin, taking it between his middle finger and thumb. With a gentle tug he pulled her face up towards his.

"What you were to me, was the woman that I loved... The woman that I still love." Her shock was evident as her eyes grew wide and moved up towards his, searching for any clue that may show him to be a liar. Any indication that he was just telling her something that she had longed to hear and may have only heard in her dreams.

"But.. That's not - You were the one that called off our relationship, if that's what you could call it. You left and never looked back." His thumb moved back and forth on her chin, feeling just how soft and delicate the skin he had thought about so often really was. He could not fight the smile that flickered across his mandibles. It was slightly humorous to see just how much she could not see.

"I called it off because I thought you would get hurt. I didn't want to pull you into a relationship that would be hard on you, here on the Citadel. I knew that you could not come with us on missions anymore. Your brother would have never allowed it. And you would be left on the Citadel, alone. I could not do that to you. So I was ready to let you go, so I would not see you hurt..." Her face flinched slightly as she pulled back away from his grasp.

"I call bull-shit. You know very well I would have done what I liked. I would have gone with you even if my brother was against it. Hell, even if the Alliance forbid it, I would have. And you still never answered my pings. You still have been ignoring me for all these years." He had to chuckle, mentally of course, at her effort to prove him wrong. But it had been a long time. And she had been left to her imagination as to why he had left her. He moved his fingers to bring her chin into his delicate grasp.

"I believed you dead. And any ping that was sent to my omni-tool I ignored thinking it to be Nihlus trying to find me. In fact I ditched it the first chance that I really could. I didn't want to be found. Didn't want to be reminded of what I had lost..." As he spoke he was bringing his face closer and closer to hers. Doing so, her scent began to become overpowering. Memory began to flare up as he once more drew closer and closer to the form that at one time he had completely memorized.

A glance to her eyes showed him a lustful warmth, melting the icy glare that had been pinned on him just moments before. He felt more than saw her move her hand back to put out the cigarette that had been between her fingers. "So you were not running from me?" She spoke in almost a hushed whisper that his turian hearing picked up on just fine. As she spoke, her hands moved up, one bracing on the forearm on the hand that held her chin, the other moving to run up the side of his mandibles on their way towards his fringe.

"Not you, Lovely Luna. Of the ghost I thought you had left behind..." With that he brought his lip plates flushed against her own soft pliable lips. His free hand moved to the small of her back to pull her lithe form flush against his while the hand on her chin moved into her hair. It all felt familiar, like he had hoped it would. But it wasn't until he slid his hand down to grasp her rear fully that she let out a gasping moan that allowed him entrance into her mouth with his tongue, giving him a slam of pleasurable memory.

She was just as sweet as he remembered, almost like candy that now had a smoky aftertaste that, Spirits damn him, was not going to ruin this moment. How many nights had he stayed up late dreaming of her feeling of her taste? How long had he only had memories to go on when he was reduced to pleasuring himself in a grungy corner of whatever hole he found himself sleeping in that night? The answer was more than he was willing to spend ever again.

From the way that she seemed to pull herself into him, and the way her dull, little nails clawed at him, she had been dreaming about this moment for quite some times as well. Her eagerness only fueled his own desire even more. The hand that was still clasped around her ass moved down to her thigh, pulling her leg up to wrap around his own waist, the other leg soon following suit. Pushing her up against her desk, he was at the perfect angle in which he could ground his pelvic plate right against her core. At this moment he damned himself for the turian habit of wearing his armour everywhere. It would have been so much easier, had he been in his civilian clothing.

Soft sweet moans escaped her lips when he would pull back for air before diving in again to taste more of her. It was almost as if all the years wasted had melted away. They were once again back on Nihlus's ship, lock in her control room. And the passion between them burned as bright as it did when they had last been together. Right before they left on the Cerberus mission.

Her legs were secure enough around his small waist that he was able to move his hand away from her tigh and travel up towards her breast. Taking hold of one of the mounds, he let one of his fingers move across her nipple while the other two massaged the flesh there. Breaking away from her lips he moved his head down the side of her neck, letting his tongue leave a moist trail behind it. At the crook of her neck he gave a few small nips that were soon covered by another pass of his tongue. His actions spurred on by her deep throated moans of pleasure.

But all good things were to end. And just when he was ready to rip her clothes away and take her there on her desk, a knock came from her door. "Captain? I have a few reports for you to look over and sign off on.. Captain?"

A string of curses left her mouth as Luna push him back to hop off her desk. Quickly she began to straighten her uniform out. Once she felt she was in a presentable state, she turned back to Garrus to find him grinning as he leaned against the desk with one hand. "Do not think this _discussion_ is over." Her infliction on the word discussion clued to him that she was not necessarily speaking of the talk they had been having before. Her eyes moved towards the door. "One moment..."

Turning, she moved to bend over the desk, jotting something down on a datapad. As she was bent over Garrus could not help but admire the view. A hand rose up to softly caress the tender, juicy flesh that was on display so beautifully in front of him. She gave a small laugh as she rose and handed him the datapad.

"This is my address. I get done here in about three hours. Meet me there in about three and half." She seemed to be debating something in her mind before she moved forward to give his lip plates a deep tender kiss. "I really hope you are not a dream.."

He chuckled as he returned the motion. "I hope so too, Luna. I really hope so..." She turned and led him to the door that opened to reveal a turian officer with a stack of paperwork. He was taken aback at the sight of Garrus as he moved past the shorter turian. His gaze move back to watch Luna as she spoke with the other turian. As he was just about to turn the corner, her moonlight gaze moved up to meet with his. There was a softness there that had not been there when he first arrived, but there was something else as well. Something that told him she was hiding something. Whatever it was, he would find out later tonight. But first he needed to look into getting a new omni-tool. Something told him he was going to be needing one now.

* * *

He knew that she had said three hours. But he was already 30 minutes late. He had been full on his way to her place after seeing the new sights of the Citadel as well as picking up a new omni-tool, when he had had an idea. Now that he found Luna he was damn sure he was not ready to give her up so easily. So why stay in a shitty hotel on the other side of the Citadel? Not when there were ones far closer to her, that is if she didn't let him stay with her. He didn't want to assume that she was still available and free. It had been years since they were last together. Surely she had not been single the whole time. Especially if she had believed him dead or ignoring her. But surely she would have somewhere for him to crash that wouldn't cost him a thing.

So he had about faced and moved out towards his hotel, gathered his things and checked out. He was thinking what a fool he would look if he showed up later having to check back in. But if there was a chance that Luna would let him stay, he wasn't going to waste precious time running all the way back to get his stuff.

His omni-tool was bright as it led him through the streets of the Citadel towards her home. He had already entered the fancier side of the wards and he wondered where Luna was getting the money from. Sure, the captain of C-Sec department would make quite a bit of credits but this seemed a little much. 1009...1008... Here it was, 1007. Stepping up to the nice door, he was about to buzz in when he heard raised voices on the other side of the door. The one that he heard now was Jane's.

"_Dead! You told me he was dead! Why would you lie to me like that!" _

"_Everything I could find told me he was! I double checked everything to see if there was some chance but everything came back as a confirmed kill! Seems that he is harder to kill than you!" _Garrus could not be sure of this voice. It was somewhat familiar and had a hint of turian to it. But one thing was sure. It was a male.

"_Well he is back now and should be here any minute. You should go..." _He heard footsteps moving towards the door. Heavy ones that did not belong to Luna. Stepping back, he moved so that whoever was in the door when it opened, would not see him right away.

"_Remember, Jane, you can never trust anyone. There is always someone out there that will enjoy using you. And you will never know until it is too late."_

He heard a small scuff of a laugh from Luna as the door opened. "You would be the one that knew the most about that, huh, Saren...?"

Garrus eyes grew wide as he stepped around the corner to watch Saren move down the steps of the front door. Jane stood in the doorway watching the silver turian leave her house. Slowly her eyes moved up to meet Garrus's own. He watched as the silvery orbs grew wide in realization that he was there. His eyes moved quickly towards the large turian who was walking towards him. But the Spectre did not pause as he simply glared at him as he passed.

He stood for a moment, unsure of what to think before his eyes moved back up to Luna. She offered him a soft smile as she held out a hand. "There is quite a bit to talk about..." He gave a hesitant nod as he moved up the stairs to the door. Stepping in, he let the 'woosh' behind him seal the door before setting his things down at the side of the door and taking in his surroundings.

The house was a rather spacious one, with many different rooms it seemed. Ahead of him was a staircase that led to an upper balcony area that held four different doors. To his right was what appeared to be a lounging area, a circular dip in the ground held many pillows for comfort. To the left was what looked like it had been a dining area at one time, but all the chairs save one were stacked against the wall. The table and the far wall were covered in what looked to be case reports and maps of the galaxy. To the back of the house, behind the dining area/office was the kitchen surround by a semi-circle bar.

He watched as Luna moved over towards the lounging area, taking the two steps he could not see that led down into the couch pit. Turning, he moved to follow behind her. Her position had her facing the door as she leaned on one of the pile of pillows. Garrus followed her example as he sat across from her.

They sat in an awkward silence, both simple staring at each other, not sure of what to say before Luna finally spoke up. "I guess the best place to start would be a the beginning, right after you left."

A thought seemed to accrued to her as she rose and pulled herself out of the circle. "You want something to drink?"

He chuckled slightly as he watched her move over towards a cabinet. "If you are offering, I very well can not say no. Besides...," he took a look around their environment, "from the look of things, there is quite a story here and I'm going to need one."

He heard her soft laugh from where he sat. It was such a lovely tune to hear. One he had always thought that he would never hear again. His hand reached out to steady her by the arm as she took the large step into the sitting area. As he touched her, a small spark shot down his arm that caused his heart to flutter slightly. Even with their interrupted adventure in her office, he still felt excitement from even a simple touch. An eagerness of desire to establish that she was in fact the real thing. But for the moment he would listen to what she had to say. He needed to know exactly what happened after he thought she had died.

He took a sip of the rich, warm brandy as she resumed her position across from him. Spirits, this was some good stuff. He gave her a moment to gather her thoughts. She had said start from the beginning but it seemed she didn't know how to start. Maybe even grabbing him a drink was a way for her to gather her thoughts around her. After a moment he gave her a helping hand.

"So how did you live? I saw the flat line and saw them write you off as dead..." She gave a small nod, showing she agreed that that was a good place to start.

"Well, you remember all the upgrades, the ones that made me heal and survive? Well, they were shut down by that device that Kai Leng placed on me. It seems when the doctors gave me that jolt to jumpstart my heart, it shorted out all the electric system in my body. Including that little device. After that, all the non-electrical upgrades came back online. It just took a few minutes for my heart to get going again."

Garrus looked her over, taking in her form. He had learned all about her upgrades during their time on the ship together. Cerberus had really pumped a whole lot of cybernetic upgrades into her. A lot of electronic ones. "So does that mean you lost more than just the device?"

She raised her own glass to her lips to take a sip before a smile graced her lips. "Almost all of it. I still heal quickly. Still have amazing stamina. But everything else is gone. The uplinks. The data mind. Everything that allowed me to hook into the ship..."

He gave a nod of understanding before posing his next question. "I know you sent me a few pings. But if you were alive, why didn't you come after me? I was still traceable for about four months."

A look of guilt crossed her face as her eyes moved down to the glass in her hands. "They kept me in the hospital for a month and a half. You know, doing all their monitoring and tests to get me back to functioning condition. That's when I was able to send most of the pings. It was all I could really do while I sat in the hospital bed." He flinched at the comment. He had been away, trying to run, ignoring all of her cries for him while she sat bedridden in some unknown hospital. It was really hitting him low. But it was what he deserved for running from her so quickly.

"After I was released from the hospital... Well, that's when the Alliance grabbed me. I was a former Alliance officer that was deemed killed in action, back alive in the company of a Spectre and full of Cerberus tech. Needless to say, they had quite a lot of questions. I spent half a year in their custody, answering questions, doing counseling, all of that song and dance. They brought in Nihlus a few times. I mean, we were a human turian team during the war." A small laugh escaped her lips. "At first they believed I was working for the turians, giving them information. It took the council to assure them that Nihlus had no involvement in the war. After a while they realized that I was too far down on the Alliance chain of command and out of the war for two years to have any information that would effect the war. And I made sure to leave John out of it. I didn't want to see his reputation effected on my behalf. They finally released me to be able to live a life here on the Citadel, of course with a shadow for my first two years."

Her eyes moved up to his with a small light. "By then I was told you were gone. Killed on some backwater planet with a name not worth remembering. I asked Nihlus and Saren to look into it, see if there was anyway you got out alive. But at that time Nihlus was deep in a Cerberus investigation. So I had to rely on Saren." Her face gave a sour twist for a moment. "At the time I was not to thrilled by the idea. But after a while it began to get better. It was then that I started to work a C-Sec. The closest thing I could get to adventure and well..." Her eyes moved over to him, almost boring into his soul. "The closest thing I could get to you..."

Anger flared up inside of his core. He had been running around the galaxy as a discount vigilante while she had been left on the Citadel to live a painfully boring and intrusive life. If that was even a life anymore. More than two years of interviews and interrogation by the people that she was once aligned with.

He turned so that he could place the glass on the floor that, sitting in the pillow pit, was right at his elbow. Moving across the distance to her, he took the glass from her hand and placed it on the ground behind her. As he leaned over to her, he took her face in his hands and pulled her into a kiss. It was soft and tender, trying to mend the damage he had left behind.

"Spirits, Luna. I can't begin to express how sorry I am..." He spoke with his forehead against hers, eyes shut. As they eased open, crystal blue met silvery pools that shone with unshed tears.

"If you had stayed then you would have had to go through everything Nihlus had. It would not had made a difference." A single tear slid down her cheek. He gave a small smile as his finger moved up to brush it away.

"But you would not have been alone. I would have been here for you... The whole time..." He leaned in to kiss her once more. A tender kiss, that grew more passionate as the tears began to fall freely down her face. Her hands moved up to wrap around his neck, her fingers running along the plates at the back of his neck.

One of his hands moved to the small of her back to pull her up against his body. He pulled her into his lap as he sat back against one of the pillows. From her position on his lap she was above him, planting small kisses over his face and lip plates. He returned them as he held on to her, pulling her close, as if he could not come close enough to her. As she rained sweet kisses all over him, words slipped out between breaths.

"I.. thought... you were... dead... Or worse... that I was... just a... forgotten memory... A passing... fling..." Her last words caused him to grasp hold of her thighs and pull her closer with a deep growl. The action caused her lips to part in that gasping moan his delighted in creating. He didn't need words to show how wrong her thought pattern was in light of the truth.

As he tilted her head, he began to work down her neck with nip kisses. It gave her time to speak in a full sentence, not interrupted by kisses or gasps of air. "Garrus, there is something else... Something that you need to know..."

At that moment the front door opened. He could hear footsteps enter the main hall area as his stomach fell. There was someone else. Luna gasped as she sat back, her eyes locked on the figure behind him. "Taluke..."

Garrus's heart joined his stomach in it's free fall. Another man. Luna was with someone else. Of course she would have moved on. And here he was all over his woman, well, at that moment it was her on him. He prepared for the verbal, or maybe even physical, lashing he was about to get from her new partner. But it never came. Instead a single word. A word that shifted his whole world.

"Mother?"


	3. Chapter 3

Hello my dears. I guess I got so cought up in the last chapter that I went ahead and wrote the next... So here you go, chapter 3. My next chapter I work on will be for Hanging All Her Hopes On The Stars.. Then I should be back here. Hope you enjoy.

_Disclaimer: I own nothing that I could actually make money off of..._

To say that his mind raced would have been a large understatement. It flew through so many thoughts in those few seconds that it was almost painful. Luna, a mother? If her timeline held any water, the oldest a child of hers could be was only around five. And unless human children aged different, then a child of five would not sound like the voice he had just heard. The voice. That was another thing. It did not sound human. In fact it sounded...

His eyes followed Luna as she rose to her feet and moved up the stairs to the figure that stood behind him. It was as his eyes landed on said figure that he became even more confused.

Standing in front of Luna was a young turian boy. He could have been no older than 10 years old by the look in the development of his plates. The parts that had already started to form were the same color of his flesh. A gray with red tint, almost a burnt gray. His face was bare of any colony markings, which surprised Garrus because of how he was dressed. He wore a Citadel Academy uniform, the school for children on the Citadel where they received amazing schooling, if their parents had enough money. As he looked him over, he could feel the boys pale green eyes staring into him, studying him in return.

"Taluke, this is my friend, Garrus. He knew Uncle Nihlus." As she spoke Luna placed her hand on his shoulder to gently turn him towards Garrus, moving to stand behind him as her other hand found his other shoulder. Garrus rose to shake his hand as he stepped out of the pillow pit.

"Nice to meet you, Taluke..." The boy looked at his hand for a moment before looking up to Luna who offered him a smile and a nod. He reached up and out to shake Garrus's offered hand.

"I've heard of you... Uncle Nihlus said a few things but Uncle Saren really doesn't like you..." Luna gave a sigh as her eyes meet Garrus. Uncle Saren, huh? What an odd combination of words. Luna moved so that she could bend down to look at the boy.

"Alright young man, out with it... Why were you late?" Her fingers moved up to tilt his chin slightly. As she did Garrus saw faint claw marks on the soft plate towards the back of his head. Luna let out another soft sigh. "Really Taluke? You were fighting again?"

The boy seemed to puff up in a defensive manner. "I didn't start it this time, I swear. It was the same group of guys again... The anti-human ones. They started to bad mouth you again. I couldn't stand by and watch."

Her face spread in a sad smile as her thumb rose to caress his cheek. As she began to rise to her feet she gave his forehead a light kiss. "Do you have homework?" The boy offered up a nod as he looked to her. She gave him a light push towards the stairs. "Then go ahead and get started. I'll call you down when food is ready."

Garrus watched as the boy ran off towards the stairs. Even though it was clear that he was not Luna's biological child, he still thought of her as a mother, which Garrus could still not quite get his mind around. Of course she made a wonderful mother figure. She was always so kind and caring. But it was still a shock nonetheless. Finally her eyes moved to his with a slightly guilty expression. Her arms were crossed timidly in front of her chest. One hand rose to tame a few pieces of hairs behind her ear.

"Right so more explaining to do..." The raised hand pointed over her shoulder. "Join me in the kitchen? If you're hungry I can make enough for both of you."

He gave a nod as he watched her, still not quite sure what to say. As she turned and moved towards the kitchen behind her, he bent down to pick up his glass. He was going to need it. On a second thought he moved over to pick up her glass too.

He found her in the kitchen pulling out a variety of pots and pans, some blue, some black. A few of the blue ones he noticed to be Palaven pans while a few of the black ones he was completely unfamiliar with. He noticed with a start that her kitchen was color coded for dextro and levo to keep foods safe for the two different races in her home. It had to be quite a lot to maintain. As she moved over towards the fridge she began to speak.

"Nihlus brought him to me... Right after the Alliance released me. Even with someone being my shadow, Nihlus didn't care. He had been keeping the boy on the ship for almost a year. Said he knew Taluke's mother for a long while, that his father died in the war. He said that she died of an illness, one she knew was coming and called out for Nihlus's help."

At this point she was placing a pan on the stove and heating it up. From the looks of it, she was about to make quair, a fish found in the waters of Palaven. It had already been de-plated and stripped of its poison centers. His feet moved him over towards the bar counter, where he sat in one of the bar chairs. Doing so gave him a perfect view as she pulled out a blade and began to cut the meat into strips.

"So why didn't Nihlus just take the boy to an orphanage. I mean, I understand that there were a lot of orphans from the war, but its not like the kid would be in bad hands." His mouth began to water slightly as she moved to the pan, laying strips of the fish out to sizzle on the hot metal.

Luna's eyes moved up to his before looking over her shoulder to the landing above. More specifically to the door Taluke had disappeared behind. After a second her eyes found his again as she leaned closer to him over the bar. The light from above reflecting off her glasses as he could feel her breath on the side of his face.

"I believe that they are related. Either a nephew or a cousin. Something of that sort. I have never seen him as defensive as the day we suggested that he put Taluke up in a foster home." With that she pulled back so that she could move back over to the eye of the stove, pushing the meat around in the pan.

He offered a nod as he understood what she was saying, then as all the words came to his mind he had to retrace them. "Wait a minute... We? Who is we?" He watched as a faint blush spread across her cheeks, right under the frame of her glasses.

"That would be Saren and I. He was here when Nihlus brought Taluke to me." A flare of jealousy rose up inside of him. Saren, the turian that told him he could not trust Luna. The one that said she would shoot him in the back if she got a chance. The same turian that was here just moments ago. His face turned away as he prepared to ask a question, one he was slightly afraid to ask.

"Luna, just what is Saren to you now? Last I knew, he hated all humans and felt that they were the scum of the galaxy. Why was he even here? Why was he helping you find me?"

She gave a soft sigh as she turned to lean on the bar counter with her elbows, arms crossed. "That is a good question. I would not exactly call him a close friend. But he is here often. I think his idea of me changed the day I took Taluke in. I believe at first he stopped in to make sure the boy was being taken care of, getting the right foods, learning what he needed to learn, not being taught too many human customs. But as time moved on, it sort of became a habit, every time he docked on the Citadel to re-supply and talk to the council he would come and stay here. One of my spare rooms simply became his spare room, since he didn't really have a house or a place to stay on the Citadel. After the first few visits I began to ask about you, see if there was any way he might have heard something about you. Might have heard some little piece of information about you that might lead me to you. It was about two years ago that he finally heard something. A confirmed death on some backwater planet in a fight against a group of Blue Suns."

Garrus gave a nod as he felt a small weight rise off his chest. There had been a small panic, a worry, that she had been in some sort of relationship with the cold turian. Bringing his mind back to their conversation he raised his fingers to tap the part of his fringe that was missing. "This was their 'confirmed kill.' Just barely made it out of the way of their little gun ship. Bought me some time to get the hell out of there while they searched through the rubble trying to find me. I heard they found a large amount of blood and part of my fringe and stated they had killed me. Decided to lay low for a bit after that."

As he spoke her eyes had been on him, watching him as he explained parts of his missing life. He realized then that had not really told her anything that happened to him. Any of the adventures that he had been on. Her hand reached out over the bar to run up along the crest of his fringe, her fingers dancing over missing plates.

"Does it still hurt? The missing part of your fringe?" He gave a general chuckle that turned into a deep growl of a purr as her fingers began to press into the plates.

"Not anymore. Been slightly numb since it happened. Though now that you are doing that, I do feel something." She joined him in a slight chuckle as she brought her hand away from the fringe to move back to the stove. She removed the fish from the eye of the stove before moving to gather two plates from a cabinet. Placing them to the side she opened a little fridge that was sitting on the counter. As she did, a sweet aroma hit his nose. He almost had to laugh. Palaven fruit. She seemed to have a whole collection inside that small cool box.

As she was arranging them on the plate, she called out over her shoulder. "Taluke! Time to eat." The sound of a door opening brought Garrus's attention up to the landing where the young turian boy was coming out of one of the rooms. He had changed out of his uniform and into more civil like clothing. As he moved down the stairs, his light green eyes never left Garrus. Garrus watched the boy in return as he made his way over to sit in the stool one over from him. Not far enough to be avoiding but not close enough to show he was comfortable. As he took the seat, Luna placed the plates in front of them.

"Enjoy, boys." Luna send a smile their way as she turned towards the stove and began to clean up the pans. Garrus smiled down to the food before he began to eat. After the first bite he had to look back up at Luna. "This is amazing, Luna..." She smiled to him as she looked over to Taluke. She was about to say something when her omni-tool began to ping. Her eyes moved down to the screen before she gave a small smile.

"Please excuse, me.." Garrus offered a nod as he watched her move away from the kitchen and into the lounge area where he could not clearly hear her as she answered the call. His eyes lingered at where she had disappeared until he heard a voice beside him. "You know, she won't let anyone call her Luna anymore.."

He looked back at the boy as he worked at the food on his plate. It was odd to hear the boy speak so softly when he had spoke so clearly to Luna just a while ago. He waited for the boy to finish his bite and continue. "I heard her tell Nihlus, that whenever anyone said it she could only think about how it sounded when you said it.. and it made her sad..."

Garrus gave a small nod as he looked down to the plate in front of him. He began to cut a piece of the fish and was ready to take a bite before he spoke. "Does your mother talk about me a lot?" He was slightly worried as to what the boy would say. So he placed the meat in his mouth and chewed as he listened to the reply.

"Not any time that she would want me to hear... I guess because I'm adopted she didn't want me to see her face sad... But I hear things, when she doesn't think I can. Sometimes she talks in her sleep. Sometimes she says your name in a very good way..." He looked up towards Garrus and he couldn't help but meet the pale green gaze. "Other times she is crying, crying very hard when she says your name. But I don't think that she is sad that you're here. In fact I think this is the happiest that I have seen her in a long time..."

Garrus had to smile at the boy as he finished his own bite. "It's the happiest I have been as well. And I don't plan to be far from her for quite a while now... Well that is if she lets me." He shared a small smile with the boy, who seemed to understand he was there for good and not to cause harm.

It was then that Luna came back with a scowl on her face. Garrus felt slightly put off and he could see the concerned look on Taluke's face. It was as Luna was pacing slightly that Taluke spoke up.

"Another call?" Luna's eyes moved up to the boy as a warm smile moved over her face. "Yeah, they just called it in. Another human - turian fight resulting in a few deaths. I have to head out there now." Her eyes moved towards Garrus, then back to Taluke. It was clear she didn't want to go. But it was her job. Garrus smiled to show he understood.

"If you don't mind I could do with a nice long shower and maybe a vid. I haven't had those sort of pleasures in quite a while... As well as a nice warm bed..." His eyes meet Luna's who then turned to look at Taluke.

"Well, I don't mind if you stay at all... But I know a certain turian boy who is a fan of the Blasto movies." She echoed the large smile that appeared on his face. Slowly a thoughtful look spread over her face as a finger rose to tap her lip and her eyes moved to him. "Now I don't think you have seen any of the Blasto movies, have you Garrus?" She was over exaggerating for the boy but Garrus didn't mind. He shook his head and relaxed his shoulders.

"Can't say that I have, Luna. Running all over the galaxy has made me a little behind on the last hit vids... I haven't seen a movie in almost five years." He looked over to Taluke who sat with his jaw slightly agape. It seemed like he could not imagine a week without a movie, let alone five whole years. His eyes seemed to widen as he looked back towards his mother. Luna let out a small laugh.

"Alright, but homework first, and I'm going to double check it when I get home to make sure it is all done. And then once that is done and you have cleaned your teeth and are ready for bed, then you can watch the first two."

The boy made a slight face. "Awww man... Only the first two?" Luna laughed as she leaned to look at the boy. "Garrus needs to start from the beginning so he can understand. And even though you want to watch them all, you still have school in the morning. Besides," she reached out a hand to tap his nose, "I don't plan on Garrus leaving anytime soon, so you can make it a week long thing maybe?" Her eyes shifted up towards him, and he couldn't help but smile.

This was a side he had never seen on Luna. The loving and caring mother figure. One that seemed so maternal as well as fun and happy. She had really grown into this mother role and it was quite adorable. He offered them both a simple nod. "I'll definitely stick around for a week if it means a Blasto marathon."

Luna's eyes moved up to meet with his as she gave him a warm smile. "Hopefully longer than that..." He reached out a hand to place on top of hers on the bar as he returned the smile. Her eyes then moved towards Taluke as he finished his food.

"Alright, upstairs young man. Homework, shower, teeth, dressed, then movie." Taluke gave a long nod before turning to run up the stairs. It was as he reaching the balcony, he stopped to lean over to yell down at them.

"Be safe mother! Don't forget to eat something." With that they heard his door open and close. Luna smiled as she shook her head. Moving over to the far closet she opened the door and began to search for something. She soon returned holding up two nutra bars. He smiled at her as he turned to walk her to the door. As he did she began to explain the house.

"If you get hungry again, you are welcome to anything inside the kitchen. Of the rooms, mine is the far left one. Then there is Taluke's. You can take the next one. It is the spare between Taluke's and Saren's guest bed. Last thing we need is for him to show up and you be sleeping in his bed. Though I doubt he will be returning tonight, what with his pissy mood. But there is a bathroom connecting your room with Saren's, feel free to use it as you see fit... Let's see what am I forgetting..." At this point they had made it to the front door. Luna seemed to be stalling for time, making sure everything was alright.

He chuckled as his fingers slipped around her chin, tilting it up while he brought his lip plates to meet her lips. He could hear her slightly moan at the action, usually an easy way for him to gain access to the rest of her mouth. But he was pretty sure if he let himself fall into that pleasure, there would be quite a bit of effort needed to get him to stop, what with him already being interrupted twice today. The next time he dove into her warm embrace he did not plan to leave it until he had had his fill of her.

Pulling away, he let his thumb slide up the side of her face, around her glass frames and into her hair. "I will be alright here. Because I know that you will be coming back..." He could tell that she didn't even try to fight the smile that rose to her lips. Her arm moved back to grab her jacket off the hanging mounts on the wall. As she slipped it on, she managed to stand on her tip toes so that she could kiss the side of his face.

"I will be back soon, cowboy..." He laughed at the use of the very old nickname. Two of her fingers rose to her brow as she waved a small salute. With that she turned and moved down the stairs, but instead of going straight out to the street she turned to the small area beside the house. There he noticed a slim hover bike. It revved to life as she took her seat. And with a gust of wind and flash of light she was off to her crime scene.

Garrus stood for a moment, watching her taillights disappear before he turned back into the house. He still had to finish his plate before he took his own shower. Then maybe catch up on the news he had been missing out on, some of it he had already been looking into while he waited for Luna to get off work. It felt a little odd, suddenly settling into this domestic lifestyle. Part of him was still expecting some merc gang to barge in at any moment. But there was a part of him, a part that he was really clinging to, that was saying this is how life should have been these past six years and how it should be from this point on. With that thought, he moved back into the kitchen to finish his Palaven dish.


End file.
